A House and A Prayer

We have found dream house number 3,268 lol.  We have been doing a lot of looking.  A lot.  And we have found that while it is easy to find a dream house, it is not easy to find one that fits into a budget.  We have looked at new stuff, old stuff, great stuff, amenities, no amenities and just plain crap (it is amazing how some of the foreclosed homes have been destroyed).  We found a realtor that we like and while we were planning our strategy for the day, I noticed that 90% of the homes on my list were either short sales or foreclosures.  Completely accidental! 

We have decided to place a bid in, a for real bid - not the play bids we submitted (said we would and never did) with the last 6 houses we really liked.  All I have to do is go over and hit the mailbox.  We have looked at the house 2X's and we have debated and finally all three of us have moved ourselves in. 

The hood has no amenities (except being beautiful) but we have space to put in a pool and a basketball goal if we would like.  CJ has space for a future boat and dog.  And he can have a workshop. 

It is truly perfect for us, but it has some issues

• mold in the basement
• huge dead tree in the front yard
• wasps nest everywhere
• major clean-up inside b/c it has been empty so long
• stolen ac & heating units
• more but it is getting a little daunting to finish listing them all

Here are a couple of pics for the girl

Love you girly, let me know what you think!

But Moooommmmm, I don't want to go to school!

No that was not Q today, that was me.  It is only the 2nd day and I am already contemplating how many days I can miss and still get an A. 

Drats, I have 2 B's already (I hate to admit that) and don't want any more. 

Sigh.  Back to class with me.  After I cook dinner, fold the laundry and make my bed.

Overcome

I am overcome. 

God has blessed our family so.

He has brought us thru everything and we are all so grateful. 

I owe all of my joy to him and I don't want to forget that.  Ever.

Today was supposed to be just another day, but I woke up this morning feeling as if I had just finished something big.  Elated.  Happy.  Thankful. 

I can't totally describe the how or the why but I wanted to share.  Thanks for listening.

Have a beautiful, blessed, productive day! 

We Fell In Love With A House

It is the first one we looked at and I know it is a big no, no to commit your heart to a home so early in the process but CJ and I both can see our family living in this house.  It is made for living with lots of space (storage and living), lots of windows (big, airy, sunny windows), lots of places to curl up and read a good book, lots of places to sit and share, room to do big crossword puzzles and play heated games of scrabble.  I could scream over the beautiful wood floors, granite countertops and other special details.  The neighbor hood is full of walking paths, tennis courts, sports fields and has a pool.  There is a shopping center within walking distance and another one less than a mile down the road.  It is closer to his working area.  We can have it built from the ground up on a large cul de sac lot.  So many plusses.  But with a house like that comes the worry. 

• Is it too soon to make a decision?
• Can we really afford it?
• Can we qualify to buy it with the strict lending practices of today?  We do after all have a home and he will be retiring soon.
• How much money do people with homes like this make?
• Do we make enough or are we being extravagent  and living above our means(sp)?
• Is there something better out there?
• What if the job he finds after he retires is in another part of the country?

We have a year to make a decision about buying a house.  And I know that with trust in God all of this stuff will work itself out but it is still on my mind. 

I finally finished my nieces baby shower invites.  A week after they were promised to be done.  They were so much work!  But they turned out so cute.  All hand stamped with hand cut scallops and pretty decorative blocks and hand set rhinestones.   Really love them.  Hope she loves them too.  What do you think?

And finally, more pictures of Mia.  I can't take credit for these super cute photos bc Q took them!  I think a new camera is in his future.  He used mine to take these and did a better job than I would have.  We bought him a really simple point and shoot for Christmas but I think he needs something a little better. 

We Interrupt This Regularly Scheduled Program

• For 100 baby shower invitations
• A new job demo'ing the Cricut at Best Buy

• 
  
  A booth at ScrapStampArt tour
• 
  
  An adorable new addition to the family that I am slowly falling in love with
• 
  
  A new tutorial on C. Middlecamp's blog
• 
  
  Searching for a new home to buy (our last home!  So excited)
• 
  
  Finding and buying all of the new MME lines (Seriously beautiful)

• 
  
  My new kit club subscription.

So, sorry for being such a slacker no show here.  I will do better in the future!  Thanks for stopping by and

HAPPY HUMPDAY..........

Meet Mia

she's hiding bc I scared her.  she is still very jumpy & shy.

Not as cute as I thought she would be (red eyes, huge) but still cute.

She is huge!  As big as the dog I would have considered getting.

Can't stop calling her "your creature" (she has red eyes for goodness sake! I thought that was a sign of being either possessed or drunk.).

Am itching and scratching but I think the "allergy" is all in my head.  And so is the flea infestation. 

I sniff everytime I go upstairs because I really expect her to smell.  Can you safely & economically clean their cages 2x a day?

All of that aside, the little guy is the happiest kid in the world right now so I think we will keep her.  He is so gentle with her and afraid that if he picks her up wrong he will hurt her.  Adorable.  I really love that kid.

I finally finished something scrappy.  Q loves to cook and on Thanksgiving last year he was allowed to cook 2 dishes all by his lonesome.  He did great! He made bacon wrapped shrimp and peach spritzer (no wine).  The peach flavored simple syrup he made from scratch.  It was lovely.  I made bread - I love to make homemade bread btw.  I get insanely happy when we let milk go sour and a few years ago, I had a beautiful sourdough starter that I had to get rid of when we moved.  It takes years to get a starter great! anyway back to the story, sorry for the OT - and he was like a puppy begging to help me.  So here he is rollin dough. 

I got my SC kits yesterday.  I had to run it downstairs so the hubby wouldn't see it and start asking a whole bunch of questions that he really didn't want the answer to.  Now the hubby is at work and I finished my last class yesterday soooooooo

I am going to play and play and play.  All.  Day.  My plan is too use August pagemaps and the entire contents (every little piece!) of the SC kits.  Wish me luck.  I will post my results (good or bad) tomorrow! But I can tell you today that my favorites in the kit were

The date stamp.  *sorry about the pic being so crappy*

Jenni Bowlin yellow butterflies

and finally the girls' paperie die-cuts.  Love, love, love the clocks.  Would have bought this just for them!

Thanks for stopping by......

Shere

The Husband and The Boys Are Going

To the pet store.  Right now.   To get one of these......

Something that I vowed he would never get.  Why did I cave.  Because these are much better to stomach than the fat green catepillars that he has adopted as a pet.  He has been catching them in the yard and they crawl all over him, he hand feeds them (completely gross by the way), takes them out into the  yard for excercise and has himself convinced that he taught the last one to play dead.  Yeah, I know.  Disgusting.  But the last straw was when I came inside and found the nasty thing on the dining room table. 

So, needless to say, they are on the way to buy the boy a proper pet.  Complete with little rolling ball thing.

Joy.

On The To Do List

• Mail C her mail that I forgot to give her while she was here
• Deal with HOA!  Hopefully for the last time......
• Cricut demonstrator interview
• Cook Dinner
• Dee's Baby Shower invites
• Finalize family cruise details
• Family cruise invites finished & mailed
• Budget with the hubby
• Plan science projects with the little guy for the next couple of weeks
• Niagra Falls plan
• Return necessary phone calls
• Get court date for bogus parking ticket
• Wait anxiously for the Studio Calico kits that I should not have ordered
• Laundry
• Place pages in new album
• Price new mattress
• Study for final exam TOMORROW (yikes!)
• Forward info to the girl
• Clean out garage
• Clean sun porch
• Weed backyard flower beds
• Can excess garden bo-tay
• Rethink this to do list
• Clean car
• Blog
• Definitely rethink the bottom 2.  I am sure they will fit on next Wednesdays to do list.

Eating My Words

Just a yesterday I posted about how none of the blogs (at least the ones I visit) are buzzing about CHA.  I do my daily blog checks today and what do I see? The incredible amount of amazingness that this summer's show has to offer.  It seems that the most buzz is about the projects.  My head is buzzing with all the ideas.  My house is going to look like scrapbook central by the time I am done!  I will create so many projects we will have to hang them everywhere, including the backs of the bathrooms doors.  I'll be using scrapbook paper to make pillows!  Okay maybe I am going a little overboard but you get the picture.

On a whole other note, the hubby & I spent the evening (and I mean the ENTIRE evening, like 5 hours) doing yardwork - him and gardening - me.  I have the dirty gloves and bug bites to prove it. 

These were brand new when I started.  And a few after pics of the yard.  I didn't think to take pictures before but trust me, it was bad.  All of the plants were growing together in one big mass and they were full of the fall leaves & weeds.  There was no mulch to speak of and there were huge rocks throughout the bed. 

My husband cut the grass and edged the entire yard and both sides of the sidewalk. 

I know this is picture overload but I am just so dang proud!  Thanks for stopping by and have a happy Thursday. 

Bazaars and Other Things Crafty

So they have a needlepoint show but other than that, no crafty venues that I can find in this area.  Are city folk just not into homemade crafts?  Where can a girl go in the north east to get her fix of handpainted flower pots and crazy cute dolls?  I just don't know.  Hopefully sometime soon, I will find something but till than I guess I have to keep surfin the net. 

I have seen surprisingly few post about CHA.  The last show, every crafty blog you clicked on had a CHA update of some sort.  I was hoping to see more.  I was in ACM a couple of weeks ago and they had a contest going that gave the winner a free trip to CHA.  hmmmm. 

Only a couple of pics today, we are on our way to the pool but I wanted to pop in and say hello.  This is what is on my desk. 

Notice that my "desk" includes every surface area in my studio.  This is a small portion of my basic grey collection that I finally decided to cut into.

A new layout that I am working on.  It will include some funky handscalloped borders and frames and lots of paper piecing & fussy cuts. 

The next 2 photos are of the kitchen sink.  I have a ton of stuff out that I will consider actually putting on this lo.  Except the prima stamps, I have those out cause I just love them and I want to think about what to do with em.  And that BG paper, I have 2 colors of the same pattern and I want to try to create a cool effect with them.  The remote control is excluded too.  That is just there bc I can now see my tv when I work. 

I posted a couple of layouts on 2peas and want to say thank you for the kind comments (if you are a pea and happen to stop by here).  I don't know if it is okay to reply thanks to a comment on there or not but I know that I can say it here, bc this is my queendom and I can do what I want (evil laugh throughout the typing of last paragraph).

For whatever reason, I feel so, so tired today.  I mean I am really draggin my butt on the ground.  I am ready to turn in already.  Gee Whiz. 

So with that being said, thanks for stopping by and I hope you had a great Tuesday!

P.S.  I told the little guy that he could have a hamster today.  I must really be tired........

Glass Houses

Not the crafty kind (although that did spark an idea) but the kind one shouldn't throw stones at.  I visit several blogs everyday - bc they are the bees knees in my book - and I was starting to get a little huffy that many of them hadn't been updated since about the 16th.  Than I took a look at my last update date and immediately apologized to the wonderful designers who I am sure are super busy creating beautiful things for me to dream of creating.  Sorry.  Again.  Truly. 

Made this layout of my husband for a contest on the Prima blog.  I actually even submitted it!  I loooovvvveee it.  I can't explain why.  At first glance it is too girly with all the flowers and the soft colors but who is this layout for anyway?  Me, and I am a girl.  Next picky point is that it has too much stuff on it.  But back to the question, who is it for?  Me, and I love too much stuff.  Like snapple, more stuff is better stuff.  So just this once (probably not) I give myself permission to give myself a break.  Thanks self, I am going to hang this lo on the wall because I love it even more now. 

I started off with a white sheet of AC cardstock and glimmer misted it like crazy with 4 different colors.  Than I used TH bsoot distress ink to stamp the border at the bottom of the pic.  Went to work cutting some prima pearls apart and layering, layering, layering.  It took me 4 hours to do this layout and I started over at least 2X.  I distressed the edges of the white but it still felt plain so I put it on a piece of matching blue bazzil (didn't trim the white at all!). 

My niece is here for 2 weeks visiting and we are busy, busy, busy showing her the sights of DC.  She says that she is having a fabulous time.  Me too sweetpea, me too.  I can't believe how fast the summer is sliding by.  Time is on steroids.  Before I know it, it will be cold again. 

CJ and I have decided that we are going to settle down here in DC.  We are going to buy a house here and an income property in Aiken and settle down to a life.  My last child will spend the bulk of his childhood in one school, one home, one neighborhood.  That is huge.  It still breaks his heart that we had to leave Charleston and he still is homesick for it.  The income property is so that when my husband retires, we will be able to go home.  And if we play our cards right, we can get a property with enough land to build a small home on it (and a pool) that we can use as a vacation home in the summer -till the day we move there permanently- and as a home for our parents when/if they need to be moved in with us -after we have moved there permanently.  Still in the dreaming stages on this. You just never know what God has planned.

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Monday.   

Was Sure That I Didn't Need It

But after hearing TH "talk" about it on his blog, seeing the pictures of it, and STILL heehawing about getting the cuttlebug, I am going to take the plunge and grab it up.  Christmas will be here soon right?  The it I am referring to is the new diecutting/embossing machine that TH/Ranger will be selling this year.  Love all the features, it is all that I am looking for.

Photo from TH

According to TH, it is fully electric, portable, heavy duty and last but not least, cute as all get out.  It'll cut through grunge, acrylic, metal, canvas, chipboard, multiple layers of cs, fabric, bookboard (which is super, super hard to cut!) and will emboss this stuff as well.  I have to get it just to see if it will emboss bookboard.  He assures that it is quiet too.  Seriously.  That is all that and a bag of chips.  So glad I waited on the cuttlebug.  I was looking to buy it just last week!  

And hello, the new dies & embossing folders that he is releasing, wow.  By the end of the year, my studio will look like a TH merchandising display lol. 

So after all that gushing, I just have one thing left to say, Anybody want a Sizzix?  Pay the shipping and it is yours!

He Has Great Ideas

This was not my idea, it was his.  And I love how it came out.  I was skeptical at first and thought that since he was thoughtful enough to make a suggestion about something that is dear only to me, I could try it.  It could always be pulled out later right?  Well I tried it and I absolutely love how it turned out.  My favorite part of this entire layout.  I was originally going to use one color and skip a space between stitches.  He suggested that I use a different color.  Future Einstein I tell you, future Einstein.

The layout is all about how much fun we had stuffing ourselves (6 of us) into the photobooth at the Riverbanks Zoo.  Even the people watching us were enjoying it -laughing with us not at us hopefully.  It was so frickin hot that day too!  We were literally melting by the time we got out of the booth.  Now whenever we see a photobooth, we want to stop and use it.  Good times I tell ya, good times. 

I made the layout based on this sketch from MME July contest. 

Speaking of MME, have you seen their new releases?  Say What - they are amazing and I will have them all as soon as they hit the shelves.  If I had to pick a favorite, it would be this line - MME, please don't be upset with me for stealing picks off  your blog if you just happen to stop by mine!. 

Portobello Road

If you get a chance, stop by their blog and check out this post.  It had a pic of all the amazing new releases.  Check out the rest of their blog too and have a look at some of the projects their design team came up with.  That is one talented group of ladies!!!!

One of our last visitors for the summer is here.  My niece is staying for 2 weeks.  I just got the little guy back from my sister after him being gone for 3 weeks and the big guy is finally home after about 2 weeks of travel.  Soon things will return to normal for us.  Long school days, dinner in, quiet house, early mornings, homework and a much smaller family unit.  At least we have a week to get used to our much smaller family unit.  This weekend our last visitors will be here.  2 of my sisters and my dad for the weekend.  Next week, all of the kids will be here (both girls and A will be back).  Phew, this has been the busiest summer I can remember in a long time. 

Thanks for stopping by and have a fantastic Sunday!  See you later.

What Happens When You.......

Spend a week cleaning & organizing your scrap space? 

You can't find a thing!  At least I can't. 

I have been making myself at least go into my space, sit down & play every single day.  I have been so super busy this summer that I really haven't been able to sit down & create.  I want to, but by the time I get to I am too tired or I have other things pressing in on my time.  So I made a deal with myself.  Creative time everyday no guilt allowed.  Working so far but for how long I don't know.  It feels good to be in there, even if all i'm doing is hiding (code for organizing/cleaning) things. 

And a great example of what I mean is this layout that I have been working on since MONDAY.  Yeah, I am not exaggerating.  Monday.  I took this picture to show what is on my desk.  But oh well, i'm flexible.  The second picture has all the stuff I pulled out to possibly put on this layout.  I think I might need an intervention. 

Got to stop by Great Scraps this week and picked up less than normal but more than enough to keep my forever growing stash movin. 

Graphic 45 Halloween line

Little Yellow Bicycle Boardwalk & Pack your Bags

We R Memory Keepers RetroGlam.  These are the only 2 pieces I was able to get of this line.  But I love, love, love it.  I would buy every single piece!  I can't wait to use it......

and last but not least, Echo Parks Sweet Summertime.  This line is crazy cute



Fortunately, we are pulling tons of stuff out of the garden.  Unfortunately, it is mostly peppers!  I have so many I am really having to get creative with using them (ie, I am giving them to friends & family lol).  We did finally get some tomatoes to ripen (the vines are packed full but they are all green) and we harvested some bell peppers & squash.  The corn will be ready any day, the silk is already drying, can't wait to taste that. 

Some more photos of our 4th of July fun!  Will I ever stop with the photo overloads? 

My boys at my cousins cookout. 

My Aunt Jenny.  Love this pic of her, hate the glare on her glasses.

Hello IKEA!  If it is possible to fall in love with a store, I think I have done it.  We went to get a bed for the boy and found one that he is going to absolutely love at a price that we absolutely love.  It makes his teeny, tiny room look so much bigger.  Although it was a major pain to put together (and we busted the boys fish tank in the process of putting the bed together) it was so worth it. 

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!